# Answer AI — UK AI virtual receptionist from Answer.co.uk: 24/7 call answering, FAQs, message delivery and transfers.

> Source: Receptionist Index — https://receptionistindex.com/answer-ai-receptionist (structured, researched, re-verified)
> Facts last verified: 2026-10-14

Answer AI is a UK AI virtual receptionist from Answer.co.uk that answers calls around the clock, handles FAQs from your website or documents, captures caller details and sends messages by email or SMS. It is sold on four monthly plans with per-call charging.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Website | https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ |
| Price | from £10/month |
| Free tier | No |

No free plan and no trial; the Lite plan is £10 a month and the account needs a minimum £25 deposit to activate. A demo number can be requested to hear the AI before buying.

## What it costs at your call volume

**Cost at 100 calls a month** · Partly — 72.50 GBP a month on Growth for 100 calls of 2.5 minutes. Growth is bought through sales. The cheapest plan you can buy online costs 95 GBP (Lite).

> Growth ... £ 30 Monthly Subscription
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Pricing section, Growth plan price cell

**Cost at 500 calls a month** · Partly — 300 GBP a month on Advanced for 500 calls of 2.5 minutes. Advanced is bought through sales. The cheapest plan you can buy online costs 435 GBP (Lite).

> Advanced ... £ 300 Monthly Subscription
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Pricing section, Advanced plan price cell

**What it bills by** · Yes — Billing is per call on top of a monthly subscription, with the same £0.85 call rate quoted on every published plan rather than per minute.

> Our AI Virtual Receptionist Service, Starts from just £10/month subscription with calls charged at £0.85.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'How much does each call cost?'

**Past your allowance** · Yes — Each plan bundles a call allowance and extra calls simply continue at £0.85 each, so calls are not stopped and there is no automatic upgrade stated.

> Includes 50 calls - Additional calls £0.85
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Pricing section, Growth plan feature list

## What it does on the call

**Books appointments** · Partly — The vendor says appointment scheduling is a core capability but only on the two upper plans, and direct diary writing depends on a calendar integration being configured.

> Appointment scheduling is a core capability of Answer AI, available across our Plus and Advanced plans. The AI can capture booking requests and, where calendar integration is configured, schedule appointments directly
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'Can Answer AI book appointments directly into my calendar?'

**Transfers to a person** · Partly — Live transfer is excluded from the cheapest Lite plan, carries extra fees on the plans above it, and the pages never say the AI briefs the person it hands over to.

> Transfer to live agent - Available on Growth Plan and up
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Pricing section, Lite plan feature list

**After-hours rules** · Partly — Round-the-clock answering is stated plainly for every plan, but no page describes separate out-of-hours scripts, routing or schedules you could configure.

> Yes. Answer.co.uk is a genuine 24/7 operation. We will answer your calls 365 days a year.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'Do answer.co.uk operate after office hours?'

**Urgent calls escalated** · Partly — Urgency recognition is claimed for emergency trades, and real-time escalation to a person needs configured transfer rules on a plan above Lite.

> On Growth, Plus and Advanced plans, you can also configure live call transfer rules so that complex or high-priority calls are escalated to you or a member of your team in real time.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'What happens if the AI can't answer a caller's question?'

**Human receptionists as backup** · Yes — Calls can be routed to the company's own human answering operators rather than only to the customer, though the vendor says extra charges apply for that routing.

> Decide when you'd like Answer AI to transfer important calls directly to you—such as new sales enquiries—or route them to our experienced human answering service (additional charges apply).
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · 'How it Works' steps, 'Customise Call Transfers'

**Asks your questions** · Partly — Lead qualification is claimed for the product, but writing your own prompts beyond basic FAQs is reserved for the Plus and Advanced plans.

> Advanced FAQ's & Custom Prompts
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Pricing section, Plus plan feature list

**Answers about your business** · Yes — You point it at your website or knowledge base at setup and it answers FAQs from that material in real time on every plan, with richer FAQ handling higher up.

> Plugin your website or knowledgebase and get started in under 10 minutes.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Features grid, 'Fast & Simple Setup'

## What you get after the call

**Call summary by text** · Yes — Message delivery is by email and the online portal as standard, with SMS as an opt-in choice that is charged separately at ten pence a message.

> Messages are sent instantly via email, and the information is also stored in your online portal. You also have the option to receive the message via SMS, which costs 10p.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'How are messages delivered? How much does it cost?'

**Recordings and transcripts** · Partly — A full call transcript is offered as an option alongside the message, but no page states that callers' audio recordings are stored for you to play back.

> You'll receive messages via email and SMS, along with the option of a full call transcript.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'What are the capabilities of the AI Receptionist?'

## What it connects to

**Outlook** · Yes — Booking into a calendar is possible where an integration is configured, but the vendor names no calendar provider, so Google, Outlook and Calendly support is unestablished.

> If you have specific diary management requirements, contact us before signing up and we can confirm compatibility with your existing systems.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'Can Answer AI book appointments directly into my calendar?'

**Calendly** · Yes — Booking into a calendar is possible where an integration is configured, but the vendor names no calendar provider, so Google, Outlook and Calendly support is unestablished.

> If you have specific diary management requirements, contact us before signing up and we can confirm compatibility with your existing systems.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'Can Answer AI book appointments directly into my calendar?'

**CRM, Zapier and webhooks** · Yes — Call data can be pushed to any HTTP endpoint, with Zapier, Salesforce and HubSpot named, and the vendor notes most wiring happens in the receiving platform.

> Answer's AI Receptionist can send data to any HTTP endpoint, making it easy to connect with tools like Zapier, Salesforce, HubSpot, and more.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/faq/ · FAQ accordion, 'What integrations are available with AI Receptionist?'

## Trying it, starting and leaving

**Free trial or free plan** · No — There is no free plan or free trial on your own line: the cheapest plan is a paid monthly subscription and the account needs a deposit before it activates.

> *Please note a minimum of £25 deposit is required to activate your online account.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Pricing section, Lite plan subtitle footnote

**Sign up without a sales call** · Partly — Only the Lite plan is bought and configured online; the three larger plans route you to an enquiry form rather than a checkout.

> Self-service. Setup in under 10 minutes.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · Pricing section, Lite plan subtitle

**Setup fee** · No — The vendor states there is no setup fee because the customer configures the service themselves online; a £25 account deposit is credit, not a fee.

> No. The service is completely setup online by yourself so there is no setup fee charged.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/faq/ · FAQ accordion, 'Is there a set up fee?'

**Contract and cancelling** · Yes — Plans are monthly with no long-term commitment, and the vendor says you can switch plan or cancel whenever you like, pointing to its terms for the detail.

> Plans are offered on a monthly subscription basis with no long-term commitment required. You can switch plans or cancel at any time
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'Is there a minimum contract, or can I cancel at any time?'

## Which languages it speaks, and how it sounds

**Languages** · Partly — The vendor claims 32 supported languages but publishes no list and gates multilingual answering to the Plus and Advanced plans only.

> Multi-lingual support is available on our Plus and Advanced plans.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'Does Answer AI support callers who speak languages other than English?'

**Choose or clone the voice** · Partly — Every plan lets you pick a voice to match your brand during setup, but nothing on the pages offers cloning of your own or a named person's voice.

> Pick an AI voice that best matches your brand personality and customer expectations.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · 'How it Works' steps, 'Choose Your Voice'

**Hear it before you buy** · Yes — A public number is published to call the AI receptionist, and a form issues a test number so you can hear it before buying anything.

> Enter your name, business name, and number, and we'll give you a number to call to test us out.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · 'Try Our AI Voice before you commit' section

## Your phone number and where it works

**Keep your number** · Yes — You keep your existing line and divert to the dedicated number supplied at no extra cost, choosing all calls, engaged calls or a ring-count rule.

> Select a dedicated number to advertise directly or easily divert your existing calls, at no additional cost.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · 'How it Works' steps, 'Pick Your Number'

**Australia** · Yes — no US, Canadian, EU or Australian numbers or local selling is claimed anywhere.

> Yes. You will receive an 0208 or 0207 number at no extra cost.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · FAQ accordion, 'Will I receive my own dedicated telephone number?'

## Who it is built for

**Industries it is set up for** · Yes — Six named trades get their own tabbed scenarios on the product page, each describing the details the AI gathers for that kind of caller.

> From emergency locksmith call-outs and private medical practices to busy law firms, ecommerce stores, automotive repair centres, and estate agents, Answer AI instantly understands your callers' needs
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/ai-virtual-receptionist-service/ · 'From Locksmiths to Law Firms' section intro and industry tabs

## Getting set up and getting help

**Setup help** · Partly — Setup is self-service and the vendor repeatedly claims under ten minutes to go live, with guided onboarding in the portal rather than a done-for-you build.

> You'll receive login access to the Answer customer portal, where you'll be guided step-by-step through setting up your AI Receptionist.The entire setup can be completed in under 10 minutes.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/faq/ · FAQ accordion, 'How do I get started with the Answer AI Receptionist service and how long does it take to set up?'

**Support** · Partly — Plans list live customer support and Advanced adds an account manager option, but the vendor's own FAQ says customer service is handled in writing online.

> All customer service is done online as we need everything in writing and our response time is usually incredibly quick.
> — https://www.answer.co.uk/faq/ · FAQ accordion, 'Who can I speak to if I need some help with my account / make some changes?'

## What changed

- 2026-10-14 — Capabilities · Free tier · Plan limits · Price · Terms

## Corrections

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